 2007, is the year of the Boer (well, pig really,
but for two reasons I prefer Boer, or Boar, over pig, as I was born in a year of
the Boar, and well, the Boer teams in this seasons Super 14 are doing what they
have not done before, winning offshore) in the Chinese calendar. I was
going to say the ching-chong calendar, but thought I better not, in the cause of
racial harmony...
Some of the Boer on the forum perhaps are behaving a little like pigs, but
hell, when you get your turn at the trough of success, bloody gorge yourself, as
you never know how long it is going to last do you. Unless you are a Crusaders
fan, in which case it seems to last for bloody ever. There have been very few
chances to belly up to the trough for the Boers over the years, so this is there
moment!! To be perfectly fair, the Wobbly fans, and a fair number of the
more successful Kiwi teams fans have been revelling in the past too. But
not here to be fair, so disregard that last sentence.
Could also be year of the bore, with some of the games not really living
up to much, score lines of 6-3 and 9-3 look to belong more in the 1940s than the
2000s. But Bore, Boar or Boer, it is another year of rugby, and enjoyable
as always.
So, the weekend’s games (round 5) – one positive,
while the Boers were beating all ‘n’ sundry, the Aussies, again, could not come
up with a win, and that included the Warabores playing against the Western
Farce. But I digress; we know that Aussie rugby at the moment is not in the
best of health.
The Boers though, winning AWAY from home, snatching last minute wins from
brain exploding champion teams, thumping other front runners, and in general
enjoying themselves at the expense of Kiwi and Wobbly rugby. Not good!!
So, any excuses? The rested All Blacks? Travel? Ahh, early season
start, umm, straws, where are the straws to clutch at…
The only excuse that can hold any water, is the resting of the All
Blacks. But the amount of water that holds would not be enough to make a cup of
tea, not really. The Crusaders and Hurricanes have been blowing hot and cold at
any rate (the two teams most effected). If they had both been blowing hot all
the time, they would be sitting atop the table, so the skills and players are
still there, just the consistency is not. And that consistency, well, you get
that through experience, and sans the R&Ring All Blacks, experience is at a
premium – although Gear and Tuiali’I are not lacking in that department, and
they can put their hands up first for the loss to the Sharks at the weekend.
The travel excuse it a crock of shit too. For teams on all sides of the
ditch.. The Boers for years have blamed having to cross the road for their
losses, as they get stage fright on any stage but there own. This year, they
are getting it right though, why, who bloody knows! The travel thing though,
there was an article in the NZ Herald pre season, and three of the four teams
that travel the most this season, are NOT South African. The Queensland Reds,
followed by the Highlanders get the most air miles this season. I forget the
rest, so no excuses there, for anyone!
Early season start – again, it is a level playing field, as all teams are
starting at the same time, and it is not as if it was sprung on them a week
before the start of the competition was it – franchises knew and planned for it
from the end of last season. Just some planned better than others.
Bottom line. wins are wins. You can only play what is put in front of
you, and if you beat them, fine, if not, fine. At the moment, Boers are
winning, and so be it!
To the games:
Blues 28-9 Highlanders.
The score was no indication of the game, the Blues should have won by
more. Their forward pack tore the Highlanders eight a new poo-hole, but just
couldn’t convert that dominance into points.
The Highlanders, good work them though, defended like Trojans for as long
as they could, but the weight of possession told in the end. They never really
looked like scoring points though.
Flavell against led from the front for the Blues pack, looking more and
more like a RWC All Black. Jerome Kaino too looking the goods thanks to
constant game time. Playing very well. Toeava another looking pretty handy too
thanks to match play and lots of it. McAlister, Afoa, Howlett also doing their
selection chances no harm.
Highlanders to put their hands up for selection, Evans in his first game
back, Blackie, and that new openside flanker, Solokai (think that is the
spelling). Ryan was quiet, but still in pretty good nick – hard for any of that
Highlanders tight five to shine the hiding it was receiving,
Waratahs 16-16 Force
This game was not too shabby in the first spell, before turning into a
kick fest force back game in the second spell when both sides were too scared to
lose to win! Meaning that neither side wanted to chance their arm and have a
go, just in case they ended up giving the opposition chance to win. Well, they
both succeeded.
Highlight of the match, the Lote Tuqiri push in the back and verbal serve
to Sam Norton-Knight. If Waratah coach McKenzie had an guts, he’d drop that
fuzzy haired PistonwristedGibbon quicker than Di dropped Charles all those years
ago. Sure NK blew the CHANCE of the goal that would have given NSW the win, but
then, there had been 80 minutes gone already when the win could have been, and
should have been taken.
Kurtly Beale, ‘the new Mark Ella’, the first time I have seen him play,
and thanks to Lee Grant’s fixation with the young fella, I watched as closely as
television allows, and I think he will be a better than average international
player. Probably not for a year or three though, but the promise is all there…
Cheetahs 22-22 Chiefs
Bloody slept in on this one, and only saw the second half, where the
Chiefs played like the Chiefs, after having a 16 to nil lead early in the game.
At least they didn’t lose this time out, so a win must be just around the
corner…
Highlights of the match was the Cheetah’s captain I think, Smith, the
flanker. His elbow in the face fetish for any Chiefs player on the ground was a
thing to behold. I think for this week he takes the angry man award of Blues
hooker Whitcombe, who introduced a few Highlanders to his forearm too…
Hurricanes 17-30 Stormers
Hands up who thought that the Hurricanes had changed? That they weren’t
all fizz and froth and no substance. Standing? Good. Now give yourselves a
collective uppercut please.
Again, this games score line was not a fair indication of the match. The
hurricanes didn’t deserve to have 17 points. But then, the Stormers didn’t’
really deserve their points either, although the Hurricanes thought they did,
and kept giving them five pointers.
but I am digressing. I am here to abuse that forward pack in the yellow.
They were horrible. The first push over try conceded since 1941 damn near.
With a pack that included an All Black, and Junior All Black prop, a junior All
Black and Maori All Black locking pairing, and a bunch of loose forwards (we all
know they don’t count at scrum time anyway, lazy bastards). They shite I the
tight, and not much better in the loose.
The Stormers your typical big hard bastard Boers who never say die, take
everything they are given, and just go about their game with the minimum of
skills, and maximum of brutality – the way rugby should be played!!
Also loved the standoff between the skylab Boer lock and David Smith (was
waiting for the coms team to come out with the David v Goliath crack, was Mexted
not there). Little Smithy could not reach pat the big mans elbow once the
collar grip was thrown on - all good too!!
Brumbies 7-19 Bulls
Oh my goodness. hang on, that's a bit tame. Fucking hell.
That was my reaction when I heard this score on Sunday morning. First
shcok the Brumbies losing at fortress Canberra, and the second, losing to a Boer
side, and third - the Bulls!! Didn't see any of the game, so lets just
leave it at that, shocked!!
Reds 20-26 Lions
But wait, there's more. The Reds also lost, after having
something like a 16 point lead. Poor old steady Eddie has been left
realing, there is no stat left that he can quote that makes it look the the Reds
were robbed. Again, didn't see the game, so no comment on the play, but
(always a but) isn't Aussie rugby in the doldrums, which no one can complain
about, but the Aussies of course... On the subject of Steady Eddie, who
was that Wobbly coach a few years back who had the brain tumour? I
remember watching him in an interview just before it was found, and he was
making about as much sense as Steady Eddie, so perhaps time for Eddie to get a
brain scan too (Jones was the coach I think, Alan)??
Sharks 27-26 Crusaders
I am going to have to get my ears tested, or check if the alarm on my
watch is working, as this is another game I missed thanks to lack of
organisation. A game lacking in great skills and execution, by the posts
of the forum though. The Crusaders gifting the win to the Sharks thanks to being
plain stupid at the end of the game. So yet another game going down to the
wire and being won. or lost, depending on which side of the ledger you are,
after the final whistle. For closeness of games this season has been a
cracker. For skill factor, not so great, but hell, who cares!!
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